Terra has over 16 years of project experience as an architect and building envelope consultant on a variety of building types in both new and existing construction. The majority of her work specializes in building envelope rehabilitation, remediation and additions to occupied buildings in the institutional and residential sectors. She has worked closely with facility managers, strata representatives, and municipal clients developing detailed project budgets that are readily approved and has successfully guided the projects to completion on budget. Terra’s major remediation projects include: building envelope rehabilitation, interior renovations, seismic upgrades, and mechanical and electrical upgrades to older facilities. Many of her rehabilitation projects have required asbestos, lead and mold remediation in occupied buildings.

After graduating from the University of Waterloo, Terra interned with major architectural firms in Toronto and Vancouver and gained specialist training in building envelope engineering with Morrison Hershfield in Vancouver. Terra’s versatile skill set offers her clients architectural and interior design services with value added specialist consulting in building envelope design. Terra is an active member of the building envelope committees at the AIBC and APEGBC and has membership at BCBEC, CAGBC, RFABC, and BCRPA.

BUILDING SOLUTIONS

BUILDING SCIENCE DESIGN

SOLUTIONS

GREEN BUILDING DESIGN

SOLUTIONS

INTERIOR DESIGN

SOLUTIONS

We believe that every building should enhance the well-being of its occupants, achieve economy through conservation, and honour the earth’s natural resources. We are dedicated to providing comprehensive service and achieving optimum building performance through collaboration and open communication with clients and our consultant team.

Our integrated team of architects and engineers offer full service building design solutions in new construction, building remediation, additions, and interior design. The ELEMENTAL team creates safer, and toxic free interiors that are protected with an energy efficient, modernized and low maintenance exterior cladding system. ELEMENTAL offers our clients specialized design services that breathe a greener a life into their aging facilities.

OUR CLIENTS

We work with institutions in the educational and government sectors, property managers developers, strata, consultants and architects offering a full range of building science solutions. In the past 5 years, we have developed relationships with Trinity Western University, The City of Nanaimo, The City of Pitt Meadows, The Corporation of Delta, BC Housing, Fortis BC, Health Canada , The First Nations Health Authority, Shape Architecture, Dialog, David Nairne and Associates and Strata Corporations.

HOW WE HELP OUR CLIENTS

Our goal is to clearly understand the specific needs of our clients and to help them reach their goals by offering the best solution within the defined budget.

We assist our clients in the pre-design phase preparing scopes of work and establishing project budgets by prioritizing needs based on our thorough building condition assessment.

We also assist our clients during the planning phases by sourcing funding and assisting with applications for grants with BC Housing, Fortis BC and Federal Infrastructure grants supporting green energy initiatives.

Please see Elemental Architecture founder, Terra Shimbashi in conversation about the architects role in building science here.

SERVICES WE OFFER

Building Condition Assessments including detailed review of the building envelope, life-safety systems and interiors. We consult with expert engineers to offer reviews of structural, mechanical, electrical, conveying, civil, geotechnical and refrigeration systems. These assessments provide invaluable information assessing systems and recommending integrated repairs that are prioritized with recommended budgets for repair.

Building Envelope Consulting - Our building envelope professionals assist our colleagues in the Architectural profession with building envelope design and detailing, field review, and site testing.

Our work integrates green building design whether the building will be LEED ™ certified or Passive House. ELEMENTAL monitors our projects by tracking energy use before and after the rehabilitation work is completed.

SPECIALIZED SERVICES

Design and remediation of recreational facilities that have specialized mechanical and refrigeration systems. Elemental has completed facility audits and remediation work to ice arenas in Delta, Pitt Meadows and Nanaimo. We are knowledgeable with safety codes relating to ice plants and are specialists in the building science related to building envelope enclosures for ice arenas and swimming pools.

SOCIAL SOLUTIONS

From direct and extensive experience in working with affordable housing societies, residential cooperatives, and government agencies, we have a practical understanding of how the stock of affordable housing units in the lower mainland is developed and maintained. From this experience, we believe that architects must provide leadership in the creation and development of prototypes for social housing. See our portfolio for the design of IMOUTO container housing, Brambles Cooperative, and Paloma Cooperative housing.

See Terra Shimbashi in conversation about the architects roll in social solutions here.